A World of Quiet Solitude

One of the most common commands that a pet owner first teaches their furry charges is the word ‘no’. This order can literally save your pets’ life. But what if your pet is deaf?

A pet may not be able to hear for many reasons. It may be a congenital defect, a condition it was born with. Its’ inability to respond to sounds may be secondary to trauma or illness. Whatever the cause, there are ways in which you can assist your hearing impaired pet to better deal with the world.

A pet may not be able to hear for many reasons

The degree of hearing loss can be partial to complete. If it is partial, often there are certain sounds that it can recognize. You may find that a very high-pitched sound can get through versus a lower, bass type noise. Just the opposite may be true. Experiment. Try various sounds, pitches and intensities. Use whistles, party clappers, clickers, or other objects.

A friend, such as another cat or dog can also be a great aid. I had an old black Labrador who went deaf with age. Durham had his Pomeranian friend, Juanita to give him cues when I was calling him for dinner. But it was amazing; he always seemed to be able to hear the freezer door open when I was trying to sneak out a bit of ice cream.

Other ways you can train your pet to respond to your needs is by the use of a remote controlled collar that gives the pet a very mild electric stimulus. This is the same type of collar that can be used to deter a pet from barking, but in this case, the degree of electrical sensation is very minimal. Teaching your dog or cat hand signals is a marvelous idea for any pet, auditory impaired or not. Though your pet may be out of voice range, if it can see you, it can react to your visual cues. This was the other way that Durham and I were able to adjust to his senile loss of hearing.

You can train your pet to respond to your needs by the use of a remote controlled collar.

Mechanical hearing aids are available for pets but are rarely tolerated and can be very costly. If you are considering such an investment, first try placing foam rubber ear plugs in your dog’s ear. If he or she doesn’t shake them out in a few minutes, your pet may be a good candidate.

A decreased level of hearing may also be due to an ear infection. If you bathe your pet at home, be sure to bathe it from the neck down. Don’t get water in to its’ ears. Pet ears are constructed very differently than ours. Water can puddle deep in their ear canals and lead to infections. If you notice that your pet has been shaking its head a lot, has malodiferous ears or they seem painful, see your veterinarian, it may have an ear infection. If left untreated, it can lead to irreversible hearing loss.